Not Supposed to Be Here
by OJM1
Summary: Ruby Rose has just discovered the White Fang in Mountain Glenn, and is on the way back to her team. But wait. What's that screaming... (OC) (M for language plus possible other things)
1. Falling without Grace

Ruby Rose peeked her head around the corner of the building that she was hiding against, her pet dog Zwei coming to her side. Two members of the White Fang had just entered one of the buildings in front of her, and she knew she had to contact the rest of her team before anything else could happen. However, communication in the abandoned city was not as good as in Vale, and Ruby needed Team RWBY (and Dr. Oobleck) by her side. Speaking to Zwei, Ruby whispered 'C'mon, we gotta get the others!'

Picking up Crescent Rose, Ruby turned back on herself, following the road she had just snuck down. The reaper soon stopped in her tracks, silver eyes stretched wide. In between her and her teammates hideout was a hulking Beowulf. Although common in the streets of Mountain Glenn, Ruby had not expected to see one right here, just behind where she had been. The Beowulf, taking advantage of her confusion and fear, batted Crescent Rose, still folded up, out of Ruby's hands, causing the girl to yelp, before smashing down two hulking fists onto the shocked crimsonette, cracking the concrete road around the site of impact. Ruby yelped out loud inadvertently, the Beowulf seemingly cackling at the young girl's vulnerability. However, before it could finish her off, Ruby heard a faint poof, and what sounded like a voice screaming 'OHHHH SHHHHHHIIIIIIITTTTTT' coming from above her.

The Beowulf turned, only for it and the prone girl below it to be smashed through the street by a falling object. The three figures plunged down a monstrous gap left by the impact, leaving only Zwei above ground, yelping down the hole at his fallen master and the two other figures beside her.

…

Ruby yelped she impacted into the ground, her aura crackling it absorbed the impact of the crash. The Beowulf wasn't as lucky. As Ruby lifter her upper body up off the ground, propping herself up on her elbows, she noticed black smoke start to wisp of the Grimm's unmoving body, a tell-tale sign that it was dead. Ruby blinked a few times, trying to find out where she was. Her mouth dropped at what she saw. A massive city, almost identical to Mountain Glenn, stretched for what seemed like miles around her. Ruby gaped for a few seconds, unable to process what she was seeing, before she was distracted by a small groan from behind her. The small reaper jumped up and turned around in a fright, thinking that a White Fang had snuck up on her while she was gawping at the city. She grunted in pain, obviously still hurting from the fall. The crimsonette looked around, searching for the source of the groan, before her silver eyes happened onto a human figure, lying on its side just behind the Beowulf. He (Ruby could clearly see it was a he) seemed the worse for the wear. His clothes were dirty, blood slightly starting to seep through from multiple cuts he had suffered. There was one especially nasty one just over his right eye that was starting to spit out blood, making Ruby quite queasy. She continued to stare at his unconscious form, wondering what she should do next. That answer soon came to her as two White Fang walked onto the roof through a door just off to the side. Thinking on her feet, Ruby grabbed the boy by his collar, and, using her semblance, dragged him behind the slowly decaying corpse of the Beowulf, hoping they hadn't spotted her.

…

Weiss Schnee was awoken by a soft nose snuffling into her cheek. 'Not now Zwei.' The heiress groaned, patting the small dog on the head. 'Weiss!' Yang Xiao Long shouted, startling the white-haired girl.

'What is it?' Weiss replied in a huff, after somehow managing to slow her heart-rate down to an acceptable level.

'Ruby's gone missing.' Blake replied.

'What!?' Weiss shrieked, causing Blake and Yang to wince a little bit. The heiress looked over to Ruby's sleeping bag, just to confirm, and found the young reaper was truly gone.

'She left about 20 minutes ago.' Yang explained as Weiss scrambled to get her things ready. 'Zwei came back only a couple minutes ago, we've been trying to wake you up ever since.' Weiss grabbed Myrtenaster, and without second thought, began to race down the stairs and back out onto the streets of Mountain Glenn, the rest of team RWBY, along with Doctor Oobleck and Zwei, following behind her.

…

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief as the two Fang shrugged and left the roof without investigating the corpse much. She looked over the corpse, making sure thy were gone. No one was there. Ruby's thoughts once again went to the boy laying unconscious next to her. How did he get here? Where was he from? By the looks of his clothes, not from anywhere close to Mountain Glenn. He wore a black shirt, with several images plastered over it. Most strikingly was a silver plant above his left breast, with the words 'All Blacks' underneath. He also wore a pair of denim jeans and a pair of dark blue shoes with white stripes on the side. Definitely not anything from anywhere close to Vale. Or Vaccuo. Or Atlas. Or Mistral. Or anywhere at all for that matter. Ruby continued to contemplate this as she tried to figure out what to do to get herself and the boy out of their situation

…

'You think Ruby caused that?' Yang asked, as WBY, Oobleck and Zwei stood over the massive hole in the ground. The looks she received from the Blake and Weiss told the blonde all that she needed to know. Yang looked back down the hole. 'Where do you think it goes?' She asked.

'I'm not…wait.' Doctor Oobleck said, a thought interrupting his train of thought.

'What is it Doctor?' Weiss asked, peering around at the Green-haired professor. 'Oh my. Of course! Of course, OF COURSE, OF COURSE! How could I be so stupid?!' Oobleck shouted.

'Dr. Oobleck, what's wrong?' Blake asked

'Mountain Glenn! Yes, an expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people commuting to the city, the main city! Developed a subway system to the inner city! Grimm attacks increased! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into the metro tunnels and what do they find? The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!' Oobleck reeled off.

'Doctor, what are you saying?' Blake asked, multiple confused thoughts racing through the Faunus's head.

'My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network, we're looking for an UNDERGROUND crime network!' Oobleck shouted.

'They've been working in caves?' Yang asked.

'No, no, Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time, thanks to an aggressive perimeter defence, and unique transportation; the city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom! Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start! As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival: They took up shelter beneath the city! In massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway. And they had cut themselves off from the surface!'

'An underground village?' Weiss asked, looking around at WBY.

'In a matter of speaking, yes. A safe haven. Until... an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern, filled with subterranean Grimm. After that, the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb. If Ruby is down there, we must find her...' Oobleck said, drawing his thermos out and changing it into it's weapon mode. WBY looked at each other, before drawing their own weapons, preparing for the battle ahead.

…

Ruby so dearly wished that she had Crescent Rose on her. Knowing the White Fang were there was so tantalising, but, without her dearest, Ruby would be an easy target. So, the crimsonette sat and waited, hoping that the rest of RWBY had noticed her disappearance. She sighed. Then jumped as something groaned behind her. She turned around, only to see the boy sitting up on his elbows, blinking as he looked around. Ruby froze, unsure of what to do at that point in time. The boy continued to look around, his soft blue eyes scanning the area, obviously trying to work out where he was. Blue soon met Silver as the boy laid eyes upon Ruby. He too froze up as he stared at Ruby. There was an awkward silence as neither person was able to speak up. The boy was the first to end the silence.

'Where…where are we?' He asked, tearing his eyes off of Ruby and past her onto the underground city that lay behind her.

'Underneath Mountain Glenn. Although I thought you might have guessed that seeing as you fell into the city…' Ruby chuckled awkwardly, trying to break the ice a little bit with the stranger.

'I…fell?' The boy said, his face twisted into a look of confusion. Ruby nodded.

'Yeah. Right on top of a Beowulf. Saved my life, actually.' Ruby admitted. The boy still looked confused. Ruby was starting to feel a bit confused herself. How could he be confused at that? Beowulfs were one of the most common forms of Grimm out there! Ruby wanted to continue contemplating the situation, but the sound of more voices approaching the two forced her to do otherwise.

'…argh. I'll do it myself.' A familiar voice grunted. Ruby froze as she recognised the voice. Unable to move, her limbs locking up, Ruby watched as Roman Torchwick made his way through the door on top of the building. The criminal mastermind's dark green eyes scoured the rooftop, before settling on the young crimsonette in front of him. 'Ah, Little Red.' Torchwick sighed. 'Of course, it would be you…'

…

Ruby grunted as she was tossed into the dirt, her hands, now bound behind her back, unable to stop her face from impacting into the dirt. She rolled onto her side, only to see the boy get a similar treatment. The crimsonette scowled as Torchwick's cane appeared underneath her chin, twisting her head up and around so that that she had to meet his gaze.

'Oh, Little Red.' Torchwick taunted, a large grin plastered on his face. 'You know, I would like to spend the whole day torturing you and your friend here, but I have a schedule to keep to! So, this is gonna have to be memorable…' The villain said with a cruel sneer. He pulled his cane out from underneath Ruby's chin and swung, thudding right into Ruby's chest. He then stepped over to the boy, swinging also into his chest. The boy yelped in pain, shrivelling into himself. Ruby growled as Torchwick once again stood over her, the end of his cane once again positioned underneath her chin. However, before the redhead could taunt her again, a low rumble emanated throughout the cavern. Torchwick looked up as an explosion ripped through one of the walls, tearing a massive hole in it.

'Go check it out.' Torchwick said to a couple of Fang standing next to him. He looked back down at Ruby, but the crimsonette could tell that the redhead's confidence had wavered a bit. Another explosion boomed through the cavern. Torchwick stepped over Ruby, walking a few paces forward in the direction of the explosions, the Fang around him doing something similar. Ruby, noticing this, started to work on her restraints, using her semblance to aid her escape. After about a minute, Ruby was able to free her hands. She propped herself up, looking around the area. They seemed to be in a trainyard of some sorts, but with only one train in. Ruby's eyes widened as she realised what was loaded onto it. A large number of Atlesian Paladins, Ruby could count about 20, were dotted along the length of the train, with more getting loaded as they spoke. Another explosion ripped through the cavern, and Ruby squinted trying to see if she could see the cause. Her silver eyes glinted as she realised who was causing it. Weiss, Blake, Yang, Oobleck and Zwei were all charging down the cave towards her position, Yang and Oobleck firing out explosive rounds from their respective weapons. Just a few feet in front of the crimsonette' s position, Torchwick started to bark out orders to the Fang, before turning back towards his two presumed captives. Ruby, halfway through untying her new companion, gave the criminal a sheepish little smile and wave, before using her semblance to finish untying the bonds on the boy, picked him up, slinging him over her shoulder with a surprising amount of strength, and dashed straight through Torchwick, throwing the criminal into the side of the train, rendering him unconscious. Ruby couldn't care less at that point. She just had to get to her teammates.

…

'So, I guess we found the Fang's hideout then!' Yang shouted as she punched the living daylights on a Fang grunt. Weiss just rolled her eyes as she dealt with a small attachment with a well-placed glyph. The heiress looked up, and her face lifted as she recognised the red blur charging towards them.

'Ruby!' Weiss yelled, trying to catch the reaper's attention. The blur seemed to slow for a moment, before diverting toward the heiress. Something crashed straight into Weiss as the blur stopped, sending both it and Weiss tumbling. Weiss ended up sprawled in a heap on her back, groaning from the collision.

'OhmygoshI'msosorryareyouok?!' Ruby babbled as she went over to her partner, apology written all over her face. Weiss grumbled a reply as she accepted Ruby's hand, the young crimsonette pulling the heiress up to her feet. Blake and Yang jogged over to where the partners stood, the rest of the Fang dealt with, at least for a short while, anyway. Blake handed Ruby Crescent Rose, still in it's folded up form.

'So, what's the plan, Rubes?' Yang asked.

'That train is loaded with paladins, at least 20.' Ruby said.

'But these lines don't lead anywhere? Why would they have loaded all of this on a train that leads nowhere?' Weiss questioned.

'I don't know, my dear.' Oobleck replied. 'Wherever it is going, however, we are going to have to stop it at all costs. We have no idea what they are capable of.'

'But how?' Blake asked. No one spoke for a moment. They were all pulled from their thoughts by a voice behind them.

'Excuse me, but can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?'


	2. A Good First Impression

'Who the hell are you?' Yang asked impatiently.

'Austin. Austin Laigin...' The boy replied groggily.

'Why are you here?' Weiss pressed.

'No idea. I just…fell here, apparently.' He said, looking at Ruby, who just chuckled nervously, hoping that her teammates didn't notice the brief interaction.

'Wait, you fell? Then how did Ruby find you?' Blake asked.

'Because he fell into me.' Ruby said abruptly, causing her teammates to wheel themselves around to face her. 'Well, me and a Beowulf, but you get the idea.'

'A Beowulf…?' Yang went to ask, but was interrupted by Oobleck.

'Look, ladies, and gentleman.' The professor said. 'As much as I would like to stay here and talk, we still have a problem to deal with. May I suggest that we can deal with this first, then question this later?'

Team RWBY nodded, and grabbed their weapons.

'Ready?' Ruby asked, looking around. Following nods of encouragement from her teammates, she faced back to the battlefield. 'Well, then let's go stop us a train.'

…

At first, Austin was fine with it. Then, as soon as the girls pulled out their…whatever they were's, because they weren't normal weapons, his confidence fell to bits. Well, whatever was left of his confidence, anyway. Even after Red's mini-pep talk, he was still scared. These girls were fucking crazy! Their weapons were fucking crazy! This whole situation was fucking crazy! Austin heard shotgun shells go off, and winced. He wondered about all the damage that was being dealt at the moment. He immediately regretted a lot of his decisions. Bullets started to whizz overhead from the train. He regretted his decision even more. Austin dived behind a building, slumping down against it, and breathed in and out, trying to calm himself down. It was too late, and he started to tremble. One of the girls, the black-haired girl came up to him.

'Are you ok?' She said, noting his fast breathing and panicked expression. Austin, unable to speak, just shook his head. 'What's wrong?' The girl asked. Austin just stared at her. His vision started to blur a little, and he could feel sweat dripping off his forehead. 'Austin, listen to me.' The ravenette said, her amber eyes burning intently at him. 'Breathe in and out, slowly. In through the nose, out through the mouth.' Austin nodded weakly, and started to follow her instructions. In through the nose, out through the mouth. He did this for a couple of minutes, before he felt his pulse slow. He continued to breathe slowly, and eventually, he managed to slow his heart rate, and came back to his senses.

'Thank you. I just sorta…panicked when the bullets started flying. I just…wasn't prepared mentally for it.' Austin said.

'Don't worry about it.' The ravenette answered. 'I'm Blake, by the way, Blake Belladonna.' She said, extending her hand. For the second time in 20 minutes, Austin found himself grabbing a hand lifting him up onto his feet. 'Stay close to me.' She said. 'You still need a weapon?' Blake asked. Austin nodded. 'We'll get you one. Come on.' And with that, Austin and Blake continued on towards their objective.

…

'Yang! Weiss! Freezerburn!' Ruby yelled, a plan forming in her mind. Yang launched herself into the air whilst Weiss created a large sheet of ice. Yang plunged downwards into it, creating a large cloud of steam around the area. Ruby started to dart around the cloud, taking grunts out without them even noticing her presence, before darting back into the mist, leaving no trace of her appearance. After spending a couple of minutes making sure the area was clear, Ruby darted back out of the waning mist to Weiss and Yang, folding Crescent Rose back up into its compact form as the rose petals settled behind her.

'Where's Blake and Austin?' Weiss asked, noting the faunus and the new guy's very notable absence.

'I don't know.' Ruby replied. 'I hope they're ok though.' She said to herself, slight worry in her voice.

'Well, I didn't see them go anywhere else.' Weiss shouted, either not having heard or ignroing Ruby's comment.

'Incoming!' Yang shouted, interrupting the arguing partners as more Fang started to descend on their position. Ruby sighed, pushing her worries about Blake and Austin to the back of her mind, drawing Crescent Rose out into scythe form, ready to fight once again.

…

Roman Torchwick groaned as he woke up. He felt around at the back of his head, cursing as he felt blood matting his orange hair from a large gash on the back of his skull. Using Melodic Cudgel, he propped himself up, quickly getting to his feet. He grumbled to himself as he made his way over to the loaded train. Seeing the nearest grunt, he stuck Melodic Cudgel underneath his throat, lifting the grunt and pinning him against the train. 'How long until this is good to go?' Torchwick growled.

'Ur…about…15 minutes, sir.' The grunt grovelled.

'Make it 5. Move it!' Torchwick yelled, losing his composure for the first time in a long, long time. The grunt nodded and sprinted off, shaking in fear at Torchwick's dramatic change in attitude. Said criminal then turned around and headed for the front of the train, hoping for some better news. There wasn't any. Torchwick stopped as two familiar figures appeared in front of him.

'Ah, shit.' The boy said.

…

'So now what?' Austin shouted. Blake had guided him through the worst of it, or so he believed. They were now isolated from everyone else in the group, having been separated during Austin's panic attack. The two now bought up the rear, noting how many unconscious Fang there were littering the battlefield. 'Jesus.' Austin mumbled underneath his breath. Blake motioned to him, and the pair changed course, coming off one of the main streets and into the back alleys. 'What are you doing? Isn't the train that way?' Austin said, pointing down the main street.

'Yes, but they're going to expect us to come that way.' Blake reasoned. 'Anyway, the others seem to have that way pretty much locked down. We'll sneak round the back, see if we can take them by surprise.' Austin nodded, and the two scampered down towards the location of the train. However, the pair skidded to a halt when they realised who was in front of them.

'Ah, shit.' Austin said.

…

'So, kitty cat, I see that you found Little Red's new friend then.' Torchwick said with a smarmy grin, glaring straight at Blake.

Austin raised his eyebrow at the ginger-haired man's choice of words. Blake growled at Torchwick, before charging forward at the criminal mastermind. Torchwick grinned, and swung Melodic Cudgel. Before Torchwick could connect however, Blake jumped out of the way, leaving a fiery afterimage of sorts. Torchwick couldn't stop his swing, and, upon contact with the shadow, went up in flames. Austin watched on, wide-eyed as Blake flipped over, and landed in a fighting stance.

'Austin!' She shouted. 'Go find the others! I can handle this!' Austin, unable to speak, just nodded, and ran off, leaving Blake to deal with Torchwick. He ran and ran towards the train, the adrenaline starting to pump through his tired muscles. An explosion ripped through the air just down the road from him. Austin guessed that was where the others were going to be. He rounded the corner, using the building wall to push off and continue running. He burst out onto the main road, opening himself up to the absolute carnage of the area. Bodies lay everywhere. Small craters dotted the road. Further down, Austin could see the three other girls engaged in combat. In the distance, Little Red and the blonde were teaming with each other to try and take out what seemed to Austin like a child with an umbrella. Closest to him, the white-haired girl was taking a beating from a massive hulk of a man who bore a giant chainsaw as a weapon. Austin almost had a heart attack at the sight, as the girl was tossed away like an unwanted doll. Pushing aside any fears (and all common sense as well), Austin scrambled around for a weapon, eventually settling on two pistols, knowing that the white-haired girl needed help. He yelled out a battle cry, and rushed onto the battlefield.

…

Weiss cried out as she was struck in the stomach by the hilt of the chainsaw. The heiress was sent flying, her aura crackling as she impacted into the ground. The Lieutenant stood over her. Even though she couldn't see his face, she could guess that he was grinning ear-to-ear now that she was at his mercy. He lifted the chainsaw over his head, ready to swing down, before several bullets thudded into his side, throwing him off the heiress. Weiss swivelled her head around, trying to find the source of the shooting. Her eyes widened as she realised that it was Austin, dual-wielding a set of standard issue White Fang pistols. He continued to fire, a wild rage in his eyes as he continued his advance. Eventually, one, then the other pistol fell silent. Whilst the lieutenant struggled to make it back to his feet, Austin continued to charge. He rugby tackled the criminal, sending both men sprawling. Weiss scrambled to her feet, reclaiming Myrtenaster as she did so. Austin rolled off of the lieutenant, getting away before Weiss encased the man in a block of ice. 'You ok? Austin shouted. Weiss nodded.

'Where's Blake?' The heiress asked, looking around for the black-haired faunus.

'Dealing with that Torchwick guy.' Austin replied. 'She looked like she was handling herself fine.' Weiss rolled her eyes. Of course Blake would take Torchwick by herself. 'I'm sorry about earlier, by the way.' Austin apologised. Weiss looked back at the brunette.

'What for?' She asked, confused.

'For crashing into you. When Red dropped us in.' Austin said.

'Red?' Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Little girl. Red cloak. That's what Torchwick called her, anyway. Judging by your reaction, I'm guessing that's not her name.' Austin said.

'It isn't. Her name is Ruby. She's our team leader. I'm Weiss. You've already been introduced to Blake, it sounds like. And the blonde brute over there.' Weiss started, jabbing a finger at Yang. 'Is Yang, Ruby's older half-sister.'

'Ah.' Was all Austin said, nodding as he looked over the battlefield. 'Do you think they need help?' The brunette asked nodding towards Ruby and Yang. Weiss was about to answer, before Blake yelled out, crashing into the floor behind the duo. They both looked around, as Roman Torchwick made his way down the road, swinging Melodic Cudgel around as he cackled menacingly.

'You know kids, your friend here was quite the challenge.' Torchwick taunted. Weiss gripped Myrtenaster tighter, her face becoming more and more agitated. 'Well, well, looks like the princess wants to play.' Torchwick smiled evilly.

…

Blake groaned as she lay on the ground. The fight with Torchwick had not gone as she had hoped it would. She hoped she hadn't done anything bad. She probably had. All of her aura had been depleted in the fight, even before Torchwick had belted her awat. The faunus girl pushed up, hearing Weiss charge into battle with a frustratred cry, only to fall back down again.

'Whoa, hold on there.' Someone said. Blake felt hands on her, pulling her onto her back. Austin knelt over her, staring intently at the hidden Faunus's face. 'I thought you said you had that?' Austin said, concern in his eyes as he looked at Blake.

'I…did.' Blake grunted.

'Just one second.' Austin said. He felt around his pockets for a second, before pulling up a strange device, almost like a scroll, but not quite. He held it over Blake's face, and a light came on. Blake instinctively shut her eyes.

'Blake, I need you to open your eyes. Otherwise, I shall have to open them for you.' Austin said. Blake reluctantly opened her eyes, allowing Austin to check them. He only kept the light on for a couple of seconds, before switching it off and putting the device back in his pocket. Without any warning, Austin straight deadlifted Blake up off the ground and onto his shoulders in a firemn's carry. Blake yelped a bit, not expecting the sudden movement.

'What are you doing?' She half asked, half screamed at Austin as he started to run away from battle.

'Getting you away from battle. You're concussed. I don't know if you know what that means or not, but you can't fight.' Austin replied, surprisingly calm.

'Well, where are we going?' Blake asked.

'Just somewhere away from here.' The brunette replied, looking around for a safe place to lay the ravenette.

…

Ruby yelped as Neo cracked her umbrella across her chest, sending the young leader sprawling. Yang was immediately on the attack, using Ember Ceclia to try and throw the mute off balance as she covered for her sister. Nothing worked, and Yang soon found herself on the defensive again. She was getting frustrated, and it was starting to show. No matter how calm she tried to remain, she was starting to get angrier and angrier at her inability to hit the girl in front of her. Yang went back in, swinging hard as she tried and tried to make some sort of contact with Neo. Nothing major hit home, and that girl just kept on smiling. Yang swung hard, but Neo was able to deflect Yang's blow and turn it around in her favour. The small girl charged in with incredible athleticism, using a series of flips to close the distance and land some hits in. Yang was knocked backwards, ending up slumped against a wall, her yellow aura crackling, threatening to break at any time. Neo's smile deepened as she slowly started to stalk towards a still conscious Yang. A blade popped out of Neo's umbrella, Yang going wide-eyed at the sight. However, before Neo could go any further, there was a loud crash behind them. Neo looked around, and immediately dashed off, leaving Yang to wonder what the hell was going on behind her.

…

Ruby picked herself off of the ground, and reclaimed Crescent Rose, going to charge back into battle.

'Ruby!' A voice yelled out behind her. Ruby turned around, and was shocked to see Austin running towards her, Blake slung across his shoulders.

'Austin! Are you ok? Is Blake ok?' Ruby babbled, rushing over to the pair, her silver eyes full of concern.

'I'm ok.' Austin started, before his ankle seemed to give way, sending both himself and Blake sprawling. Austin grimaced in pain. 'Actually, I'm not ok.' Austin grunted, pulling off his shoe and sock, studying his ankle. 'Bruised, possibly sprained. Gonna ache in the morning.' Austin said. Blake groaned.

'What about Blake?' Ruby asked.

'Concussed. Don't know the severity, but enough to be a liability. I was taking her away from Torchwick.' Austin explained calmly as he put his shoe back on.

'Where's Weiss?' Ruby asked, head twisting around, trying to find her partner.

'With Torchwick.' Austin replied, matter-of-factly. Ruby scrambled to her feet, only to see Torchwick go flying over their heads, Weiss following behind on her glyphs. Ruby cheered out loud for her partner. Austin looked, wide-eyed, as Weiss used her glyphs to reach her partner and teammate, hopping off the last one and landing with gentle grace. Austin continued to stare at her wide-eyed, seemingly forgotten by the other girls in the group.

'What now?' The heiress asked, looking at Ruby as Blake, albeit woozily, stood by the recently-arrived heiress.

'I don't know. Yang's still fighting Neo.' Ruby explained.

'Make…that…was.' Someone groaned from behind the group. They all turned around, and saw Yang, looking very much worse for wear, but flashed a grin as she aprroached the rag tag bunch. 'YANG!' Ruby yelled, immediately rushing over to her sister, sending both tumbling to the floor, Yang chuckling as she was embraced by Ruby.

'It's…good to see you too Rubes.' Yang said, getting herself and her sister to their feet. Their mini-reunion was short lived, as they were interrupted by a voice from behind them.

'Really. Y'know, we really all gotta stop meeting like this. It's gonna make us look bad.' Team RWBY swung round, Austin scrambling to his feet to join them as the lines were drawn. On one side stood RWBY and Austin. The other, a clearly injured Roman Torchwick, being propped up by Neo. Even in his current state, Torchwick still had a creepy smile on his face. 'Now, if you'll excuse us, we got ourselves a train to catch.' Torchwick smiled. Yang once again went to charge, but was held back by an arm across her chest, courtesy of her team leader.

'You're not going to get away this time.' Ruby said, her voice low and threatening. Torchwick just smiled.

…

Ruby flashed forward, using her semblance to swing behind the two villains. Weiss and Blake skirted round the sides, Yang remaining at the front, creating a circle around Torchwick and Neo, trying to prevent an escape. Unbeknownst to the huntresses-in-training, however, the duo had already escaped, Neo's semblance creating the illusion the the. The only one to notice was Austin. Seeing that RWBY was seemingly fixated on nothing at all, he made his way after Torchwick and Neo, knowing that he was probably the only one able to stop them from escaping. Following the duo as silently as he could, Austin started to try and formulate a plan to try and stop them. He had to take out the small girl first, as she was probably the most dangerous of the pair.

So, he quickened his pace, mostly ignoring the flares of pain shooting up from his injured ankle, until he could grab the back of the small girl, jumping up to dig his knees into the girl's back, before letting gravity do the work. Neo's back rebounded off Austin's knees. However, she used her momentum to make it back to her feet, ready to attack, albeit in some pain. The ice-cream haired went to throw a kick into Austin's side as he tried to scramble up to meet her. Austin grabbed her leg as it connected, and ducked under, twisting her leg painfully as he whipped the small girl into the floor. Austin immediately rolled over, transitioning into a full mount, throwing a few elbows into the girl's face, looking to end the fight early, only stopping he was satisfied that she wouldn't be a problem.

He got up, and noticed Torchwick starting to run away. Austin charged at the ginger-haired man, eventually catching up with the obviously injured man. He lept onto Torchwick's back, wrapping his arms around the criminal's neck, his legs going around Torchwick's torso. Once again, gravity did its work, and the two fell backwards, Austin landing hard on his back. The brunette winced, but never let up on the chokehold around Torchwick's neck. Torchwick started to scrabble at Austin's arms, almost begging for air, before eventually passing out, going limp under Austin's tight grip. Austin kept up the hold until he was confident Torchwick was 100% out cold, before finally letting go, frolling the readhead off himself into a heap on the floor. Austin lay there, the adrenaline that had sustained him for most of the encounter, starting to wear off. He lay there for a few moments, trying to recover his energy, the only interruption being thundering footsteps coming towards him.

'Austin!' Someone yelled. A concerned face flashed into his view. 'Austin! Are you ok? We're so sorry. We were…' Ruby started, before Austin stopped her with a single finger on her lips.

'Got em'.' He panted, before all the energy he had left rushed out of his body, and his eyes drooped shut

* * *

**Well, that's that then. As you can probably see, I have a bit of trouble writing fighting scenes, but I hope to improve as this series goes on. Thank you for reading and see you in Chapter 3**


	3. New Beginnings

Ruby was starting to get a little bit concerned. Not with her team, they were fine. At that point, Yang and Blake were just chatting to each other, whilst Weiss was coddling over Zwei, the corgi perched next to her. No, Ruby was more concerned about the boy, Austin, to her left. He was still asleep, breathing softly as he did so. Ruby studied him for a few seconds. He had almost singlehandedly taken out Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan whilst they had once again been distracted by Neo's semblance. Ruby sighed. The boy was an enigma. No weapons of any kind, no visible usage of a semblance, and yet…. Ruby groaned. It was just so…confusing to her. 'Ladies…gentleman, we are here.' Oobleck announced, drawing Ruby from her thoughts. She gently shook Austin's shoulder, the boy groaning as his eyes fluttered open. The door to the hold opened up, and the four members of team RWBY stepped outside. Austin went to join them, but stopped as he hopped out into the light, a hand shielding his eyes. Ruby noticed this. 'Are you...ok?' she asked. 'Yeah, yeah, just…taking in the sights.' Austin replied, his eyes focussing on the building in front of the five teenagers as he jumped onto solid ground. Oobleck, the final person to step off of the airship, interrupted the scene. 'Ladies, although you must be tired, Headmaster Ozpin has requested you come up to his office, explain the day's proceedings. You too Mr Laigin.'

…

To Austin, the view from the docks had nothing on the view from the man they called Ozpin's office. He gawped as he stared out of the window. A large city, probably close to the size of Manchester or Liverpool, sprawled out below them, separated from the school by a large lake, airships just mere dots on the horizon. 'Mr…Laigin, is it?' Austin swivelled around, to find the five other people in the room all staring at him. He quickly paced over to an open chair. 'First of all, I would like to thank you, Team RWBY. You managed to stop a major terrorist attack and saved Vale from a dangerous foe. For that, you will be excused from classes for the rest of the week, to rest and recover from this experience. You are all excused. Thank you.' The four girls looked at each other, slightly confused by the short meeting, before nodding to Ozpin, standing up, and leaving the room, leaving just Ozpin and Austin in the office. 'So, Mr Laigin. I received reports from Doctor Oobleck that you…fell…into Miss Rose in Mountain Glenn, causing both her and yourself to fall through into the White Fang hideout. Would you care to explain yourself?' Ozpin asked, leaning forward with a great degree of interest. Austin shrank into his chair a little bit, his nerves at meeting the man in front of him quite obvious. 'Urm, I can try to…' Austin mumbled. Ozpin sat back in a little bit, noticing he was unnerving the boy a little bit. 'Please, explain as much as you can. Take as much time as you need.'

…

'Well then, that is definitely very interesting. Thank you, Mr Laigin.' Ozpin, now standing up, turned his back to Austin, looking out of the window. A short silence fell upon the room. 'What will happen to me now?' The brunette asked quietly. 'The White Fang will now have a bounty on your back, due to your involvement in the capture of Roman Torchwick. Someone would have escaped, told them about it, and probably mentioned your appearance, although not your name. So, for the foreseeable future, you shall remain here, at Beacon. You shall be assigned a dorm here, and, if you can handle yourself as a huntsman, you will be allowed to stay here as a full-time student, although there will be some things that will change between your experience and the experience of someone who started at the beginning of the semester.' Ozpin said, not once looking back at the boy. Austin just nodded, the repercussions of what Ozpin said flowing through his head. 'Good. Now, I have a few more questions for yourself. First of all, do you have any weapons?' Austin shook his head. 'Well, that may need to be one of your first priorities before you start at the beginning of next week. However, you shouldn't worry yourself with that at the moment. I am sure that you are exhausted from today's events.' Austin nodded. 'Well then, if you go and visit Miss Goodwitch, she will be able to provide you a dorm. Do you have any preferences?' Ozpin asked. Austin nodded. 'Yes. Would it be possible to keep me near Ruby?' Ozpin raised an eyebrow. 'She looked out for me a lot at Mountain Glenn.' Austin shrugged. Ozpin nodded. 'Very well. I shall be sure to inform Professor Goodwitch. Now, you are excused.' Austin thanked the headmaster, nodded and went to stand up. However, as soon as he put pressure on his right wrist, he stopped and swore under his breath as he grabbed his wrist. Ozpin looked at Austin, and said 'Before anything, however, you may want to go and have that get looked at.' 'Ok sir, and, thank you'. Ozpin just smiled as Austin left the office.

…

'Headmaster, are you…100% sure of this?' Goodwitch asked. The blonde had just listened to Ozpin's recounting of Austin's tale, and was suitably unimpressed. 'Yes, I am very sure of this decision. Why aren't you?' Ozpin returned. 'It's just…this whole thing seems really odd to me. A random boy just drops onto one of our best students during the middle of a highly dangerous mission. That doesn't sound…off…to you?' Goodwitch asked. 'I admit, it doesn't sound possible. But the boy has convinced me. He seems genuine in what he says. He shows promise. From what Oobleck reported, Mr Laigin was able to stand up against very highly trained soldiers, albeit through some very…unconventional methods. I see a lot of potential in him. He could bring a lot of different skills to the table, some skills that could be…valuable.' Ozpin replied. Goodwitch just rolled her eyes. 'Where do you want him put?' She said, her tone one of…annoyance.

…

Austin was cleared from the medical centre with a rather long list of injuries. That list included a bruised sternum and bruised ribs from Torchwick's cane strikes, a sprained right wrist from his heavy landing after Ruby's rescue, a bruised ankle from the fighting, plus a load of other general cuts and bruises. He was bandaged up, including a large one around his waist to protect his injured ribs and a soft cast on his wrist, and was eventually given the all clear. Austin walked out of the medical centre, deciding to go and visit Goodwitch. Honestly, he needed rest more than anything else. He knocked on the door and was given entrance. 'Mr Laigin. Please come and sit down.' The blonde teacher said as more of a command then request. Austin complied, and sat in front of Goodwitch's desk. 'I understand that you shall start your education here in the next week. Personally, I don't agree with this decision. However, if you can prove yourself, then I may be able to change that view.' Goodwitch said, her tone unwavering. Austin took this as a bad sign, and shrunk into his seat a little bit. 'Lessons begin at 9.00 sharp, although we suggest you arrive about 5 minutes early. The day is made up by four lessons, three in the morning, and one in the afternoon, apart from days with combat in the morning, then lessons will swap to two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Lunch is about 12.30 every day, and lasts till 1.00. Understood?' Goodwitch said. Austin nodded. 'Good. You will have your own dormitory. This will be your own room, complete with an en-suite bathroom. Each dormitory is part of a certain communal area, with cooking facilities. Your room will be number 619. 6th floor of the dorm buildings. Is that ok with you?' Goodwitch asked. Austin nodded. 'You will be put through a series of tests in the coming days to asses your physical capabilities. Due to your…background, we shall be offering you a tutor to help you get up to speed with the curriculum. Are you ok with this?' Goodwitch stated. Austin nodded. 'Finally, since you don't have an income, or any sort of money at all, the school will be providing you with a small sum of Lien, payable every week, starting tomorrow. You shall be issued with a card tomorrow morning. Is this acceptable?' She asked. Austin nodded. 'Very well. That is all. I shall see you on Saturday, 10.00am sharp, to start your testing. You are dismissed.'

…

Austin unlocked the door to his new dorm room, and immediately went and crashed on the bed, set to the far-left of the room. The day's events had taken so much out of him. Well, however long that day had been so far. Austin honestly had no idea what time it was. He dived into his pockets, trying to see if he still had his phone. He did, which was lucky. He pulled it out, and checked the time. It said 9.00pm. Austin groaned, picking himself up out of his bed. He opened the curtains, and saw the sun starting to move down towards the horizon. Austin guessed it was probably mid-afternoon, which explained the growling in his stomach. Austin sighed, and made a mental note to ask the time next time he saw someone. The brunette decided to take inventory. He rummaged through his pockets, pulling everything out of it that he could. After about a minute, his pockets were emptied onto the desk in the bottom-right corner. The sight wasn't pretty. All he had was a small solar-powered battery charger, a charging cable, his wallet with a photo of his family in, a pair of wireless earphones and his keys. Austin grimaced at the sight. He groaned, and collapsed down onto his bed, the tiredness hitting him once more. He opened his phone, and queued up a playlist. Maroon 5's Payphone was the first track up. Austin smiled as the song came one, starting to sing along. He stayed like that for a while, just relaxing as he tried to take the events of the previous 24 hours in fully. Things had…definitely not gone as expected. Like, at all. Stuck on a completely different planet, with no idea of what he was going to do at all. He mentally shrugged to himself, before a rumbling erupted through his stomach. Sighing, Austin kicked his legs out, flipping out of bed. He wandered out into the corridor, slipping his earphones in as Jump around by House of Pain. Austin smiled, jumping down the corridor towards the kitchen before starting to sing along with the lyrics. He walked inside, immediately nosing around in the cupboards, trying to find something to eat. He eventually settled on a brand of cereal, Pumpkin Pete's, which had a quite attractive girl on the front, obviously modelling the brand. He grabbed a bowl, poured in some cereal and milk, before sitting down at one of the chairs at the breakfast bar, his music still blaring through his earphones. He was alone for a few moments, eating his cereal as he took out his phone, opening up Twitter, scrolling down the last tweets he believed that he would ever see, smiling at a few of the memories it bought up. He cleared away his bowl once he finished, before returning to his room, once again flumping down onto his bed. Now full, Austin felt his eyes droop down, and, eventually, the brunette's eyes drooped shut.

* * *

**So, Chapter 3 done. A lot of this chapter, especially the chat between Austin and Ozpin, was based off a framework I had done for a previous fanfic (I don't know why, but I really like the concept of a guy from Earth coming to Remnant). Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading and see you in Chapter 4**


	4. Getting to Know the New World

As always, Austin was awake before dawn. In fact, the sun hadn't even started to rise over Beacon when the brunette's eyes fluttered open. Groaning as he pushed himself up, Austin tenderly stood up and wobbled over towards the bathroom, silently cursing whatever god thought it was fun to give someone insomnia. He winced a little bit as the lights switched on, before going over to the sink and splashing some water over his face in an attempt to wake himself up some more. He turned off the tap, quickly brushed his teeth with the limited resources Beacon had to try and clean himself up, before stepping outside into the corridors. Austin reasoned with himself that he needed to go and find the 'lay of the land'. It seemed like a pretty good reason at the time, anyway. Austin wandered around the corridors for a bit, before heading downstairs and outside, headed towards the main building. Before he got there, however, he sat down on the bench, taking in the sights as the sun started to creep over the horizon. A thought flashed into Austin's brain, and he smiled to himself. Taking out his phone, he turned on his camera, pointing it towards himself. 'So, it's…what, day 2? Yeah, Day 2 of my new life here on Remnant. I've decided to do this video diary just so that if…well, anyone from back home finds this, however impossible that may seem…' Austin trailed off into some chuckles, before getting back onto his train of thoughts. 'Yeah, if anyone finds this footage, then they know what the hell I've been, or, well, am going to experience.' Austin's head dropped a little bit, and he sighed, thinking about what he was going to say. 'So, yesterday, I…fell, into this place, Mountain Glenn. There, I met some of the most…incredible people I have ever met. And not just from their personalities. They seem to have these…weird abilities, it's just…just fucking crazy, y'know? Anyway, long story short, I choked out a major criminal, and now I'm going to this school, Beacon Academy, who trains people like those girls.' Austin said, pointing the camera behind his back to show Beacon's towers. 'Bloody mental, right?' He chuckled, putting the camera's view back on his face. 'So, I have a few tests coming up, one physical and one mental. Bit nervy, but, we'll just have to see how they go. In the end, I guess it's gonna be good. That's it for now.' Austin signed off, stopping the video, before sitting back and admiring the view.

…

Ruby groaned lightly as she awoke, stretching out her arms as she sat up. Swinging out of bed, she noticed that none of her other teammates were awake yet, unusual, as normally at least either Weiss or Blake would be up before the young leader. The young leader giggled a bit at the sight of her sleeping teammates, before lightly walking towards the closet, not wanting to wake them.. However, as she opened the closet to get dressed, she stopped, hearing a weird noise, seemingly coming from the kitchen. Ruby walked out of RWBY's room, still clad in her pyjamas, and down the corridor, the noise, which, as she got closer, became more and more like music, albeit music that she had never heard before. Ruby reached the kitchen, peering inside cautiously. Suffice to say, but Ruby was very shocked to peer inside and see that Austin, the boy from Mountain Glenn, was sat inside, eating some cereal whilst some music played out of a device, sat on the table next to him, completely unaware of Ruby's presence. 'Austin?' Ruby shouted in shock, unable to . Austin visibly jumped in shock, knocking and consequently spilling his cereal all over the table. 'Oh shit, I am so sorry.' Austin apologised once he ha gotten over the shock of the heiresses sudden appearance, rushing over to the side to grab a towel to wipe up the mess he had made. 'What are you doing here?' Ruby asked, half in excitement, half in confusion. 'I'm…gonna have to explain a few things, first. Sit down, this could take a while.' Austin said, motioning to Ruby to sit, the crimsonette complying eagerly. 'Well, where to start…' Austin said, trailing off a bit at the end. 'From the start?' Ruby suggested. 'Well, if I'm going to explain things properly, I'm gonna have to go a bit further than that…' Austin grinned

…

'Ruby,…I'm not from Remnant.' Austin said. He looked on as Ruby's jaw dropped so fast it almost flew off of her face. 'I know it's kinda hard to believe, but I was born on a world called Earth, as were all of my family. I honestly have no idea how I got here, but, here I am.' Austin said, gesturing out with his hands, almost like he was announcing himself. 'I come from a city called London, which was…is the capital of a country called the United Kingdom.' Ruby raised an eyebrow, almost asking Austin to elaborate. 'It's…complicated, to say the least. I'll explain later. Anyway, I lived with my Mum for my whole life. Just me and her. I never knew my father. Mum never liked to talk about him. She only said that she left him a few months before I was born.' Austin sighed. 'Anywho, I was born on the 29th February 2000.' He continued. 'Wait, the 29th? Of February?' Ruby asked, a confused look on her face. 'Leap year?' Austin asked, raising an eyebrow. Ruby shook her head. 'Huh. Gonna be 17 forever then, I guess.' Austin said, a small grin on his face. 'My Mum…what can I say. She was the best. She worked as a nurse at the local hospital, mostly working the 'graveyard shift', between midnight and 7am. She still managed to do so much for me at home, even though she slept most of the day. I just…I just wish that I could have said goodbye.' Austin said, tears starting to slip out of the corners of his eyes. Ruby immediately rushed around the table and embraced the brunette, letting him cry into her shoulder. The pair remained like that for a few moments, Ruby calmly whispering comforting words into Austin's ear as the brunette sobbed his heart out. Eventually, Austin's tears dried up, and the brunette pulled his head out of Ruby's shoulder, his eyes bloodshot. 'Thank you.' He said, a small, but sad, smile placing itself on his lips. 'I know that this all sounds absolutely crazy, but I want you to know that it is all true. Every single thing. Ever…' Austin was silenced with a finger to his lips. 'You don't have to convince me of anything.' Ruby said. 'I believe you.' Austin's face lit up, and he squeezed the girl tightly in a hug that rivalled some of Yang's. 'Austin…can't…breathe' Ruby gasped. 'Oh, sorry.' Austin said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in a manner uncannily similar to Ruby herself. 'Anyway, now that we got all of that out of the way, I've got something to ask of you. Would…you mind taking me into Vale today? I need some clothes and stuff, cause, y'know, falling into a new world and all.' Austin said. 'Of course. I just need to grab a few things from my dorm, then we can head off.' Ruby said, a large smile on her face.

…

Weiss groaned as she awoke, the sounds of clattering stirring her from her sleep. 'Jesus Christ Ruby, could you be any louder?' A familiar, yet unfamiliar voice cursed. 'Sorry!' A voice that was most definitely Ruby whispered loudly. 'What are you looking for?' The other voice whispered. 'My scroll!' Ruby replied. 'Your what?' The voice asked. 'You left your scroll on the desk.' Weiss groaned. 'Oh, thanks Weiss.' Ruby said nonchalantly. 'Wait, Weiss! Gosh, I'm so sorry! Did we wake you up?' Ruby babbled in apology. Weiss just rolled her eyes, before lightly stepping out of her bed. She looked up at Ruby, but stopped when she saw who was standing next to her team leader. 'Urm…Hey Weiss?' Austin said nervously, giving the heiress a little wave. 'What are you two doing?' Weiss asked. 'I…didn't have time to get any clothes. Me and Ruby were going to head into town, get some supplies and…stuff.' Austin said quickly, shooting a quick look over to Ruby. 'What do you mean, supplies?' Weiss asked. 'Ozpin offered me a place here, when we had our talk yesterday, bring me failing a couple of tests. I believe I'm your new neighbour.' Austin explained, occasionally throwing Ruby an cautious look. Weiss, albeit tentatively, nodded her head. 'Very well. Ruby, there's a list on the desk of items we need. Please make sure to get them.' Weiss stressed, before laying back down and falling asleep with a soft sigh. Austin and Ruby looked at each other, before simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief. 'Ok. Got your…scroll-thing?' Austin asked. Ruby nodded. 'Good. Let's shoot before we wake anyone else up.'

…

'Are you ok?' Ruby asked. The pair were currently sitting on the airship that ran between the academy and the city. Ruby had ditched her usual attire for a much more laid back look, a short pair of denim shorts and a red jacket with her usual cape in its normal placing on her back. Austin perked up from his musings, and raised an eyebrow. 'Are you ok?' Ruby repeated, Austin noticing a small bit of concern in the crimsonette's voice. 'Yeah, Yeah, I'm fine. Just…listening to my music.' Austin said, a small smile on his face. 'What are you listening to?' Ruby asked, the concern in her voice replaced by a playful questioning. 'It's called Fluorescent Adolescent, by a band called the Arctic Monkeys. Very popular band from where I come from.' Austin explained. 'Do you have Casey Lee Williams on Earth?' Ruby asked. 'I'm…I'm honestly not sure. You'll have to show me some of her music. Do you want to listen to some of my music?' The brunette replied, first cleaning off an earphone, before offering it to Ruby. The reaper took it, holding it between two fingers. 'It sits in your ear, like this.' Austin said, gesturing towards his ear. Ruby nodded, placing the earbud in her ear like Austin had. Austin pressed play on his phone. An upbeat tune started to play for a few beats, before kicking into the verse. Ruby sat back, listening to the song it continued on. 'So?' Austin asked as the song finished. 'It's…different.' Ruby replied, not 100% made up on it just yet. 'Not everyone's cup of tea. Don't worry, I have plenty of different genres on here.' Austin said, waving his phone towards Ruby. 'Anyway, I'll have to show you them later, cause I think we're getting ready to land.' The brunette said, peering out of the window as himself and the Reaper descended into Vale.

…

'Hey, Weiss, do you know where Ruby is?' Yang asked as Weiss walked out of the shower. 'She went into Vale with Austin.' Weiss replied. 'She left about…9.30?' 'Austin…that's the guy from yesterday. What is he doing here?' Yang asked from her position on her bunk, leaning over to look at the heiress. 'I think he said he got a place here. Ozpin himself offered him the space. He's living just down the hallway from us.' Weiss explained, recalling the conversation herself, Ruby and Austin had had earlier. ''Why? He doesn't have any weapons, well, not that I saw at all. He doesn't have the look of a huntsman at all. I don't know what Ozpin sees in him.' Yang said, hopping down off her bed. 'He did choke out one of the biggest criminals on Remnant while we are all distracted by an illusion. He has that going for him.' Blake said, coming away from her book for a few seconds. 'True.' Yang shrugged. 'I just hope Oz knows what he's doing.'

…

'Ruby, I think I'm gonna be good on clothes now.' Austin said, struggling to keep up with the energetic crimsonette under the weight of all his stuff. 'If anything, I think we need to go and get some food now. What was on that list Weiss wrote for you?' He asked. Ruby fumbled around for a few moments, before finally pulling the list out. 'Mostly food. The nearest grocery store is only a couple blocks away. Come on!' Ruby said, before using her semblance to speed off down the road. Austin sighed. This hadn't been the first time the young leader had shot off down the road, forgetting that Austin didn't have superspeed. However, it was never too hard to find her, the trail of Rose Petals often being a good indicator of where Ruby had sped off to. Austin easily picked up the crimsonette's trail, before allowing himself to relax into his thoughts for a few moments, just while he was by himself. He immediately drifted towards Weiss, Blake and Yang. The rest of his newly-found friends. And what he needed to tell them. It was going to happen eventually. They would all eventually grow suspicious of him, press him, and, eventually, he would spill, maybe accidentally, maybe through his own choice. He wasn't sure how everyone would take it. Ruby had taken it well so far, but that just seemed like her. It was everyone else that concerned him. A anxious look crossed Austin's face as he neared the aforementioned grocery store. 'Austin?' A worried voice asked, bringing him back into reality. The brunette found himself looking at Ruby, who had been waiting outside the store for him. 'Are you ok?' Ruby asked. 'Sort of. I'm guessing you know why.' Austin replied, keeping his answer vague as not to alert anyone around him. Ruby instantly understood, and nodded supportively. 'We'll talk about it on the way back up.' She said, a small, comforting smile on her face. 'Now, let's go and get this shopping then.' Ruby said cheerfully. Austin couldn't help but smile as he followed the crimsonette into the store.

…

It had gone 3 by the time Austin and Ruby made it back to the airships, both loaded with several bags of shopping. The pair managed to find a place to sit away from the few others who boarded the ship, so they wouldn't be heard. 'So.' Ruby said, her silver eyes fixated on Austin, not allowing him to escape. 'Ruby, I…I'm scared.' Austin admitted, hanging his head a little at the admission. 'I'm scared that…everyone will reject me, if I tell them. Think that I'm some sort of lunatic that needs to be strapped away in a mental asylum.' Austin said, burying his head in his hands at the thought. 'They won't. We've all had bombshells dropped on us before, and we've stayed together through it all.' Ruby said, placing her hand on Austin's shoulder to try and comfort the brunette. 'But what is it's not!' Austin shouted, making Ruby jump, withdrawing her hand as the brunette turned to look at her. 'Listen, I know that you're trying to help, but this is more than a bombshell. This is having your entire beliefs turned upside down. Did you ever think that there was something else out there?' Austin pointed out of the window and up into the sky. Ruby followed his arm, shaking her head as she saw where he was pointing. 'See? Look, I know that I'm going to have to tell them at some point, but…I just don't know how to do it.' Austin said, once again burying his head into his hands. Ruby got down on her knees right in front of Austin, and shoved his arms aside, almost forcing him to look at her. 'You need to tell them. It will hurt you, but it will hurt more to keep it a secret from them. And no matter what, even if it all falls apart, you'll always have me to back you up. Ok?' The crimsonette said, a small, but confident smile on her face. Austin looked at Ruby, and, seeing the confidence pouring out of the girl's silver eyes, and smiled back. 'Ok, I'll tell them.'

* * *

**So, that's Chapter 4 done. This was originally supposed to go one way, and was up on here, but then I had an even better idea for the direction of the story, so hence a long re-write. Thank you for reading this far, see you in Chapter 5**


End file.
